Interest in energy saving devices has popularized the installation of ceiling mounted fans wherein fans of relatively large diameter rotate about a vertical axis to circulate the air within a dwelling space. Such fans have the advantage, during heating, of removing the warmer air from adjacent the ceiling for distribution throughout the room, and under cooling conditions, the movement of air, although gradual, produces a cooling effect. As such fans normally operate at relatively slow speeds, and are powered by fractional horse power electric motors, comfort is increased with low energy expenditure.
As many ceiling fan installations do not utilize permanent wiring, exterior wiring is often employed and an aesthetically attractive exterior wiring of a ceiling mounted fan may be achieved by the use of a swag kit.
Swag kits permit the fan to be located upon the ceiling at the desired location with little regard to the wiring location within the room. The swag kit normally consists of a flexible decorative chain or cord conductor support attached at one end to the fan, or fan connection box, and a portion of the conductor support is normally suspended from the ceiling by hooks whereby the conductor support forms pleasing catenary arcs across the ceiling to a wall. The conductor and support then extends downward along the wall, and the lower end of the conductor extends beyond the conductor support for plugging into a wall outlet.
In the aforementioned swag type installation fan control is usually achieved by locating a switch within the fan itself and a pull cord depending from the fan permits the operator to control the fan by pulling on the cord. A variable speed switch may be used whereby the number of pulls determines the rate of fan rotation.
It is also known to employ a switch adjacent the lower end of the swag conductor and support. However, in such installations the installer must design his own switch installation to accomodate the particular situation.
Previously, swag kits for use with ceiling mounted fans were not complete in the sense that switch box and switch means are not provided with the kit which permits universal use, and complete installation requires an ingenuity and skill beyond the ordinary.
It is an object of the invention to provide a swag kit for use with ceiling mounted fans wherein the swag kit utilizes a ceiling mounted plate at the upper end of the conductor support, and a surface mounted switch box is located at the lower region of the conductor to permit ready control of fan operation.
A further object of the invention is to provide a swag kit for ceiling mounted fans wherein electrical conductor strain relief means are located at each end of the conductor, the upper end being associated with a ceiling plate, and the lower end being associated with a switch box, whereby code restrictions may be met and the likelihood of conductor wear and shorting is reduced.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a swag kit for ceiling mounted fans wherein a ceiling plate is employed having a hook for receiving the conductor supporting chain, and a spacer is utilized intermediate the ceiling plate and the ceiling to provide access for the hook and permit the conductor to be inserted through the plate for strain relief purposes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a swag kit for ceiling mounted fans wherein the electrical conductor may include two circuits, and the swag kit switch box includes a pair of switches to permit switch box control of both the fan and a light associated therewith.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a swag kit for ceiling mounted fans employing a surface mounted switch box capable of accepting fan control switches of either the choke or solid state type.
A further object of the invention is to provide a swag kit for ceiling mounted fans which utilizes a metallic ceiling plate, which, when used in conjunction with a fan mounted shroud, defines a metal receptacle for receiving the wiring connections in order to comply with code regulations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a swag kit for ceiling mounted fans employing a ceiling plate having an integrally defined hook mounted thereon for supporting the conductor chain, and wherein a spacer is disposed between the ceiling plate and the ceiling, such ceiling plate including alternate mounting means for the spacer whereby the spacer may be oriented in that manner to locate the chain hook as desired.
The swag kit in accord with the invention consists of a linked chain having an electrical conductor woven therethrough, the conductor preferably having two conducting circuits whereby both the fan, and a fan light, may be controlled. The lower end of the conductor is connected to a surface mounted switch box in a strain relief manner, and the switch box receives a switch which may be either of the choke or solid state type to regulate the fan speed. An electrical supply line cord is also associated with the switch box for supplying electrical power to the fan through the switch.
At its upper end the conductor, and chain, are connected to a metal ceiling plate. The ceiling plate includes a homogeneous hook lanced from the material thereof which extends in an upward direction from the plane of the ceiling plate and receives the link of the upper end of the chain. An insulated grommet defined in the ceiling plate receives the conductor as inserted downwardly through the grommet, and strain relief is achieved between the ceiling plate and conductor.
A spacer bar is mounted upon the upper side of the ceiling plate for direct engagement with the ceiling whereby the installation of screws, or other fasteners, through the ceiling plate and spacer affix the ceiling plate to the ceiling in spaced relationship thereto as determined by the vertical dimension of the spacer. This spacing provides clearance for the conductor to extend through the ceiling plate, and as the extension of the free end of the hook above the ceiling plate substantially corresponds to the vertical dimension of the spacer the ceiling itself will prevent the chain link from being removed from the ceiling plate hook.
The conductors located below the ceiling plate are attached to the fan, which is supported from a hook depending from the spacer bar and ceiling plate, and a fan mounted shroud is normally utilized to enclose the upper end of the fan and the wiring located immediately adjacent the ceiling plate. In this manner, the ceiling plate and shroud form a metal receptacle for housing the wiring components at the fan in compliance with state codes.
The spacer bar for the ceiling plate is in the form of a U shaped channel, and includes holes which align with mounting screw receiving holes defined in the ceiling plate. Several sets of such holes are defined in the ceiling plate oriented at 90.degree. with respect to each other about the plate center, and the holes permit the ceiling plate and spacer to be angularly oriented in at least two selective relationships in order to orient the ceiling plate hook to the length of the spacer to accomodate the particular installation.
A heavy duty hook also extends through the ceiling plate into the channel of the spacer bar for supporting the fan and the spacer bar functions in the dual capacity of providing a rigid support for the fan and maintaining clearance between the ceiling and ceiling plate.